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Going Big By Downhill Jason

This weekend, four of us went up to Leith Hill near Dorking and as always happens when we have a ride there, we almost straight away headed for the singletrack sections and more importantly, the big drop-offs, run-ins and jumps that litter the southern portion of the hill. Every time we go to these, we will get off the bikes and walk about a bit looking for the steepest slopes, biggest drop-offs and the best lines to take, but the thing is, we will always look before leaping.

I've now been up to Leith Hill a fair few times and the thing that I've noticed on every occasion is that some riders will try for ages to pluck up the courage to do things, whilst others will have a quick look before committing themselves. The thing is, the cautious rider who stops at the edge and looks over into the abyss will invariably not ride the section, even though they can see their mates flying off and coming to no harm whatsoever. It can't be lack of skill because I know the cautious riders are well capable of riding these slopes (we wouldn't even let them near them if we believed they weren't capable), so does the thinking about it make it worse because of the speculation? If you start to think about things for too long, you end up getting images in your head of what could go wrong and how much it could hurt if you did stack and the thing is that if you think about it too much, you probably would stack, in the same way that you'll always hit an object that you're trying to avoid if you stare at it.

I myself am guilty of this to an extent and certainly wouldn't think of riding some of the things that Tim (ex club member and nutter) thinks nothing of riding off, but I'll always have a go at something if someone I know I can ride as well as does something and occasionally, I'll just commit myself and have a go. On Sunday for instance, Joe found this drop-off of about four foot which had no run-up, roots half way down the drop and an off-camber landing in bracken. We stood there for a couple of minutes working out whether it was possible and I finally came to the conclusion that it would be if you could get enough speed up, jump out and clear the roots and drop the whole four foot onto the banking rather than attempting to ride it. I lined up for my first run, set off and slammed on the brakes on the edge because I realised I had nowhere near enough speed to get over in one piece (the run-up was so short, you could only get about four pedal strokes in, so they had to count). I'll admit that when I was stood on the edge with my brakes squeezed firmly on, I really didn't think that it would be possible to stay on the bike after landing. So why then did I try it in a lower gear with the idea of seeing what speed could be gained and instead of stopping, rode the bloody thing? I managed to clear the roots, land in one piece and get very squirrely but I'd done it, done what I though would be near impossible. I'd done it without hesitation and come out in one piece but had I stopped again, there's no way I would have done it. After my attempt, Joe had a go and managed to ride down the slope and in the same style as me, got a bit squirrely but stayed upright. There again, would Joe have ridden it if I hadn't? (Probably!). He did admit that he was thinking of stopping as well but thought 'sod it' and carried on.

The hard thing about committing when you're not sure is over-riding the brain's natural defences and stopping your hands from pulling on the brake levers. What I do is look at the drop first, work out whether it is feasible and then when I'm coming up to the edge, tell myself not to be so scared which seems to work for me.

If I was to give anyone tips for riding these sections (and I'm not the most qualified to do so, I warn you), I'd say that if you can do the brain over-ride thing, it can work. Never underestimate what you can get down on a bike because I'll bet that it's a lot steeper and gnarlier than you ever imagine. If you put your seat down as far as it goes and get your weight over the back wheel rather than in the more natural centre of the bike, you'll find it a great deal easier. Also, just commit; if everyone else has ridden it and is one piece, chances are that you will be able to as well. Most importantly, relax and enjoy yourself. I'm not suggesting for a second that you start to hurtle off every cliff face you see, but try not to worry too much about what may happen and you'll be amazed at how easy a lot of the drops and slopes are. When you've done one cleanly, I'll guarantee that the adrenaline rush will be enough to get you back up there a lot more times.

Oh, the obvious one here, ALWAYS wear a helmet when doing any riding and especially when the terrain gets a little trickier. I've landed on my head on numerous occasions and if it weren't for my helmet, I'd be worse than I am now!!

Checking if it is rideable

Try it slowly to get the measure of it

Keep on trying it until you feel comfortable

Then you can hit it faster and see what happens

Or hit it really fast and see how far you can jump into it

Even if you aren't into riding the dangerous stuff its good fun to watch and the views are amazing

When it comes together you can start to push your luck a bit!